Poker Ocean Poker Game Rules
The rake visibility at Poker Ocean has received high marks. For more detailed information about the rake taken at our tables, please link to cmagames.
The following games are available at Poker Ocean:
· Omaha
Played with a 52-card deck, all games accommodate two to ten players and a virtual dealer. As the game progresses, bets placed by the players are accumulated into the pot. The best hand wins the pot.
To better understand the rank of the various poker hands, please click here.
Games available at Poker Ocean are similar in concept, but each has its own important and unique set of strategies. Poker Ocean offers three different versions so that each player may choose a favorite style. First, we explain the rules of Texas Hold'em. Then, because the other two are based around this game, we talk about the key differences for Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo.
Up to ten players and a virtual dealer are seated at a table. If you select the Side View option, avatars representing the other players are visible. A button labeled with a ‘D’ appears in front of one of the players. This is the Dealer button. Before each round, the Dealer button moves one position to the left and originates when players in the group take turns dealing the cards. In our poker room, the virtual dealer shown in Side View deals all hands. The virtual dealer can be seen sitting behind the box of chips on the middle of the left side of the table. The virtual dealer only deals cards and does not participate in any other way.
The Game Round
The following description explains how a round of the game is played, as applied to limit poker.
Blinds
To begin with, the two players sitting directly to the left of the dealer button (not the virtual dealer), must post "blinds." Posting a blind means to place a bet before any cards are laid down. This action ensures that every winning hand will win some money. Since the dealer button moves every round, all the players will have to post blinds at some point during the game. The player seated to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the "small blind," which equals half of the minimum at stake. For example, $2.50 for $5–$10 game. Then, the player to the left of the small blind posts the "big blind," which equals the amount of the minimum at stake ($5 for a $5–$10 game).
Pocket Cards
After the blinds are posted, the first cards of the game are dealt. Each player receives two cards face down—these cards are the "pocket" cards.
Betting round-1
The betting begins with the player who sits to the left of the big blind and continues around the table in a clockwise direction. Every player has the chance to fold, call, or raise. Raising is possible by the lower table stake only—for example; $5 in a $5-$10 game. The dynamics of betting are explained in detail below.
The Flop Cards
Next, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table—these are called "flop" cards. They are considered "community" cards and can be used by all players to complete their hands.
Betting round-2
The second round of betting follows in exactly the same way as the first round. Again, each player can fold, raise, or call.
The Turn Card
Following the second round of bets, a fourth card is dealt face up the community cards in the middle of the table. This card is the "turn card" and a third round of betting takes place after it's dealt.
Betting round 3
With one difference, the third round of betting proceeds the same as the first two. In the third round, raising is only possible by the higher stake amount—for example, $10 in a $5–$10 game.
The River Card
The final round of betting takes place after the fifth—and final—community card is dealt face up. This final community card is called the "river card."
Betting round 4
The final round of betting is done the same way as the third round.
Showdown
When all the bets are finished in the final round, the best five-card hand is determined. Both pocket and community cards can make up the hand. The player who holds the best five-card poker hand is the winner of the pot. If more than one player has the same hand, they can split the pot. In the rare instance that the best hand consists of community cards only, the pot is split amongst all the players left in the game. If a player is losing and doesn't want to show their hand, they can "muck," which means to give up their hand and lose the pot. Otherwise, the players can "show" to compare their hand with others in the game.
Start again
When a hand is completed and the pot is taken by the winner, the dealer button moves one player to the left, and the next hand begins.
Betting system
The player to the left of the big blind starts the betting round and the betting order goes around clockwise. Players bet according to their hand and what they believe it has a chance of becoming.
Fold
If a player does not like their cards, they can fold. If they have posted a blind, made a bet, or raised one, they lose the money they've bet, but they will not lose more than that amount. Once a player folds, they are out of the game until the next round.
Check/Call
A player can stay in the game by calling. If no bet has been made before the player's turn, they can check or call without placing any money in the pot. Or, if a bet has been made before them, they can call by placing the same amount in the pot.
Bet/Raise/Re-raise
If a player thinks their hand is a good one, they can make a bet. If another player has made a bet, they can raise it. The amounts are fixed by the table stakes. In a $5–$10 table, for example, the bets are $5 in the first two rounds and $10 in the last two. Each round allows one bet and three raises—bet, raise, re-raise, re-raise. After three raises occur, the betting round ends and the next card is dealt. If it's the final round of betting, the best hand is determined.
All-in
A player who runs out of chips during a hand does not have to fold, but instead can choose to be "all-in." A player who is all-in calls all their chips, and the pot is divided into a main pot and a side pot. All subsequent chips go into the side pot. At the "showdown":
- If the all-in player does not have the winning hand, both pots go to the winner.
- If, however, the all-in player holds the winning hand, the main pot goes to that player and the side pot goes to the second best hand.
- If several players go all-in, several side pots are created. The pots are divided according to the hand and order in which the players go all-in.
- If a player who is not all-in holds the winning hand at the showdown, they win all the side pots and the main pot.
- If an all-in player has the winning hand, they win the pot or pots that were collected when they went all-in. The all-in player can only win the pot or pots they are involved in.
A round of betting continues until all players have either folded or called the third raise, or until a bet has been called by all the players (except the one who placed it) without a raise taking place.
Omaha follows the same principles, but differences in the rules require players to use a different strategy.
With the following two exceptions, Omaha poker follows the same rules as Texas Hold'em:
- Players are dealt four pocket cards, instead of two.
- Players must use two of their pocket cards and three of the community cards to make their best hand.
Omaha Hi-Low follows the same rules as regular Omaha, but the game provides an additional way to win a share of the pot. The Hi winner is the player who holds the best hand, but a Low winner is also possible. The Low winning hand is a hand with five different cards numbered below a 9. Two pocket cards and three community cards must make up the Low hand. For example, a 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 of any suit would be considered a Low hand. The player with the lowest Low hand is the Low winner. Possible pot-distributions include:
- If a Low winner hand is dealt, the pot is split equally between the Hi and Low winners.
- If there are multiple Low hands, the winner is determined by comparing the highest of the low cards, followed by the second highest and so on.
- If there are two or more Low hands that are equal, the Low pot is split between them.
For a Low hand to qualify as a winner, at least three different low cards under 9 must appear on the board. Not every round will produce a Low winner. Also, a player must use different pocket cards for Hi and Low—from the four cards dealt to them along with any of the community cards. Again, different cards may be used for the Hi hand and the Low hand. In Omaha Hi-Low, the lowest hand possible is 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace of any suit. Flushes and straights do not count against a player for the Low hand. An Ace counts as either High or Low, and the same Ace can be used to make a High hand or a Low hand.
Pot Limit games
Pot Limit games differ from Limit games by the amounts that are bet and raised. The minimum raised amount is the same as the previous raise or bet. To clarify, if the first player bets $10, the second player can raise a minimum of $10. The maximum amount that can be raised is the total betting pot along with the total bets of other players in the round and the call amount of the player. So, if the pot is $50, the first player bets $10, the second calls $10, the third can raise up to $80, which is the total of $50 in the pot, $20 from past bets, and $10 of the player's own call.
No Limit games
No Limit games differ from Limit games in that no maximum applies to each raise. Only a player's table balance would restrict the amount of their raise.
Ring Game Rake Structure
House commissions, in general, amount to between 0% and 5% of each pot. The rake is not changed if the hand ended before the flop cards are dealt. In other words, "no flop, no drop."
Limit Games-SX-26
Limit - $0.02/$0.04 to $0.25/$0.50
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake
|
|---|---|---|
| 2-10 | $0.01 for each $0.20 in the Pot | $1.00 |
Limit - $0.50/$1 to $1/$2
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake
|
|---|---|---|
| 2-10 | $0.05 for each $1 in the Pot | $1.00 |
Limit - $2/$4 up to $30/$60
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake
|
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $0.05 for each $1 in the Pot | $1.00 |
| 3-4 | $0.05 for each $1 in the Pot | $2.00 |
| 5-10 | $0.05 for each $1 in the Pot | $3.00 |
Limit - $50/$100 and above
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake
|
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | $1 for each $50 in the Pot | $2.00 |
| 4-10 | $1 for each $50 in the Pot | $5.00 |
Pot Limit and No Limit Games
Pot limit and No Limit - $0.01/$0.02 up to $0.10/$0.20
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake
|
| 2-10 | $0.01 for each $0.20 in the Pot | $1.00 |
Pot limit and No Limit - $0.25/$0.50
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake
|
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $0.01 for each $0.20 in the Pot | $1.00 |
| 3-4 | $0.01 for each $0.20 in the Pot | $2.00 |
| 5-10 | $0.01 for each $0.20 in the Pot | $3.00 |
Pot limit and No Limit - $0.50/$1.00 up to $10/$20
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $0.05 for each $1 in the Pot | $1.00 |
| 3-4 | $0.05 for each $1 in the Pot | $2.00 |
| 5-10 | $0.05 for each $1 in the Pot | $3.00 |
Pot limit and No Limit - $25/$50 and up
|
Number of players
|
Rake per Pot
|
Max. Rake |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | $1 for each $50 in the Pot | $2.00 |
| 4-10 | $1 for each $50 in the Pot | $5.00 |
©2010 Poker Ocean. All Rights Reserved. www.pokerocean.com is a site of Fastengine Processing Limited.